Christine CunninghamA young man, who was found to have a knuckleduster in his jacket pocket, when searched in Wroxham, has been given a last chance by a judge.Christine Cunningham

A young man, who was found to have a knuckleduster in his jacket pocket, when searched in Wroxham, has been given a last chance by a judge.

Paddy Mutch, 21, said the knuckleduster was an unusual novelty belt buckle and not a weapon although he had been earlier warned by a probation officer not to wear the item, Norwich Crown Court heard yesterday.

Mutch of Hill Rise, Scarning, admitted being in possession of an offensive weapon, in February, this year, and also being in breach of a suspended custodial sentence.

Judge Simon Barham accepted it was an unusual case and imposed a 26 week sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered him to do 180 hours unpaid work.

He said: 'You have been given a chance, now it is up to you to take it.'

Ian James, for Mutch, said: 'The prosecution accept this particular item was essentially a novelty item and it composed part of a belt. It is quite an unusual example of the commission of this offence. It was worn by him not to intimidate, but as a statement of bravado.'